Chapter 497

Evelyn Sinclair hung up the phone with deliberate calmness, slipping back into her professional demeanor as she prepared for another day at Sterling Corp.

Highland Estates was anything but peaceful that morning.

Theodore "Teddy" Winslow nearly dropped his coffee when the trending scandal flashed across his screen. The rebuttal from Nathan Blackwood's so-called friend made his blood run cold. This wasn't damage control—it was sabotage.

That idiot had turned a golden opportunity to protect Evelyn into a public relations nightmare.

The grainy photos did show someone resembling Nathan escorting Evelyn to her car. Teddy's hands shook as he climbed the stairs to Nathan's private quarters, each step heavier than the last. The man had been drowning himself in bourbon since midnight.

The door swung open to reveal Nathan's bloodshot eyes. "Speak." The single word dripped with menace.

Teddy extended his phone like a peace offering. "Mr. Blackwood, you need to see this."

Five excruciating minutes passed. Nathan's knuckles turned white around the device.

Here he was—the actual man who couldn't win Evelyn back—while some doppelgänger was stealing the narrative. The internet swarmed with performative sympathy, spectators feigning concern while reveling in the drama. The phone shattered against the marble floor before Teddy could blink.

"Harrison!" Nathan's roar echoed through the estate. "Get this buried. Now."

His assistant appeared instantly, eyeing the phone fragments with professional detachment. "Consider it done, sir."

Nathan was already dialing Tristan Whitmore when the call connected. "Don't bother sugarcoating it. Who's the bastard interfering?"

Tristan exhaled sharply. He'd hoped to intercept this disaster. "Zachary Whitmore." Even if he'd lied, Nathan would've uncovered the truth within hours. The Whitmore heir had just signed his family's death warrant.

The call ended abruptly. Nathan's next orders to Harrison were chillingly precise: "Terminate all Whitmore contracts. Every single one."

Meanwhile at Horizon Media, Dominic Young released an expertly crafted statement. Xavier Delmont—their newly signed talent—had merely been discussing his upcoming debut in Montecito's hottest new competition series. Pure coincidence that Evelyn happened to invest in the show. Witnesses could corroborate their brief, professional interaction.

The internet's obsession shifted like weathervanes in a storm. Without official commentary from Blackwood Industries, the conspiracy theories lost steam. Now the outrage targeted "greedy entertainment executives" manufacturing drama—blissfully unaware Horizon answered to Sterling Corp.

Dominic cursed colorfully in his office. At least the publicity would boost ratings. Evelyn hadn't even dignified the scandal with a response, treating it with the indifference of swatting a gnat.

But by nightfall, the real earthquake hit financial news: Nathan Blackwood had acquired the Whitmore Group in its entirety.